Soft-pressure and silencer box for musical instruments.



0. H. CARLSON.

SOFT PRESSURE AND SILENCE BOX FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, IBM.

1 1 8 1 ,73 5 Patented May 2, 1916.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR HARALD CARLSON, OF RIDGEFIELD PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 AUTOPNEUMATIC ACTION (30., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Application filed November 18, 1914. Serial No. 872,699.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR H. CARLSON, a subject of the King of Sweden,residing at Ridgefield Park, in the county of Bergen and State of NewJersey, have invented a new and useful Soft-Pressure and Silencer Boxfor Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide means whereby theair tension on the treble or bass action can be reduced as the airpasses through a soft pressure pneumatic, and means whereby theconnection with both actions can be entirely out off the latter beingoperated at will or auto matically by the reroll lever, both means beingcontrolled conveniently from a point in front of the key-bed or in anyother position.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1is a plan of a pair of silencer boxes and their associated partsconstructed in accordance with this invention and showing theconnections to the front of the key bed; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation ofone of the silencer boxes; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the same on theline 33 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the reroll lever showing its control of the silencerbox.

The invention is shown as applied to a simple and ordinary form of grandinstrument having bellows 6, wind chests 7 and tubes 8 for connectingthem with the bass and treble actions 9 and 9 respectively. Connectedwith the tubes 8 are pneumatics 10 each having a movable leaf 11 and astationary plate 12 on the opposite side. On the outer side of thisplate are two chambers 13 and 14 separated from each other. The airenters the chamber 14 from the action through a tube 15 and port 16.This port is adapted to be closed by a valve 17 operated by a pouch 18in a manner that will be described.

The chamber 14 is connected with the interior of the pneumatic through afree port 19. The chamber 13 is connected with the interior of thepneumatic 10 through two ports 20 and 21. The port 21 is adapted to beclosed by a valve 22 operated by a pouch 23. The port 20 is designed tobe partially closed by a valve 24 connected with the movable leaf 11 ofthe pneumatic by a proection 44 and arranged to be brought nearer to aseat as the pneumatic collapses. This valve is. provided with a spring25 and the movable leaf of the pneumatic is provided with a spring 26for normally holding it open.

The method of operating the two pouches 18 and 23 will now be described.The space behind the pouch 18 is connected by a channel 27 and tubes 28through junction boxes 29 with two ports 30 and 31. One of these portsis closed by a valve plate 32 which is designed to be opened upon thepressing of a silencer button 33 at the front of the instrument to admitatmospheric air. The other is closed by a valve plate 34 which isoperated by a projection 35 on the usual reroll lever 36 so that whenthis lever is operated to reroll, the air will be admitted to the pouchso as to close the valve 17 and entirely out off the action from thesourceof air tension. The same effect is of course produced bydepressing the button 33 at the will of the operator. So far only one ofthese sets of connections has been described but it will be understood,that the bass and treble are controlled in the same way. For thispurpose one of the tubes 28 extends from one of the junction boxes 29 tothe treble silencer box. Thus when the reroll lever is operated or thesilencer button 33 depressed. both actions are cut off. The space behindthe other pouch 23 in each box is connected through a channel 37 andtube 38 with a port 39 closed by a valve plate 40. These valves aredesigned to be operated respectively by a bass soft pressure button 41and a treble pressure button 41. The channels 27 and 37 are providedwith bleeders 42 and 43.

The air is normally drawn out from each action to the main wind chestthrough the tube 8, chamber 13, ports 20 and 21, pneumatic 10, port 19,chamber 14, port 16 and tube 15, and under ordinary practice when boththe ports 20 and 21 are open the wind tension will be steady and willnot depend upon the collapsing of the pneumatic 11. But when the button41 or 41 is depressed and the air is admitted behind the pouch 23 sothat the port 21 is closed, then all the air from that action must passthrough the port 20 and as the amount of air passing through it isdiminished by the approach toward it of the valve 24 it is obvious thatthe wind tension will be reduced in proportion to the amount ofcollapsing of the pneumatic 10.

It will be seen therefore, that the action on both sides isautomatically cut off by the operation of the reroll lever, that it canbe cut off independently thereof, and that the tension on the bass ortreble side of the action can be reduced during any period of time atthe will of the operator, and that these results are secured by simpleand ineX- pensive mechanism that is not likely to get out of repair withordinary usage.

Although I have illustrated and described only a single embodiment ofthe invention, I am aware of the fact that modifications can be madetherein by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope ofthe invention as expressed in the claims, there fore I do not wish to belimited to the de tails of construction herein shown, but

What I do claim is 1. The combination with a pneumatic having a movableleaf, of a chamber adjacent to said pneumatic and connected with theinterior of the pneumatic by two ports, one of said ports beingunrestricted, a valve for closing the unrestricted port, pneumatic meansfor closing said valve, whereby all the air exhausted from saidpneumatic will have to pass through the other port, a

graduating valve in the pneumatic connected with the movable leafthereof so as to be moved toward said other port when the pneumaticcollapses for the purpose of reducing the tension, a push button, andmeans operated by the push button for preventing the entrance of airinto said pneu matic from an action chest.

2-. The combination with a pneumatic having a movable leaf, of a chamberthrough which the air can be exhausted from said pneumatic, said chamberbeing connected with said pneumatic by two ports, means for closing oneof said ports, a graduating valve for reducing the flow of air throughthe other of said ports, said graduating valve being connected with themovable leaf of the pneumatic so as to be op erated in proportion to themotion of said movable leaf, means for conducting air from an actionchest to said pneumatic, a reroll lever, and means whereby when saidreroll lever is operated the connection from the action chest will beclosed.

3. The combination with a pneumatic having a movable leaf, of a chambercon nected with said pneumatic by two ports, a graduating valve in thepneumatic connected with said movable leaf for reducing the effectivearea of one of said ports when the pneumatic is collapsed, therebyreducing the flow of air through that port, a valve for closing theother port, a pouch connected with said valve and adapted to move it toclosed position when filled with atmospheric air, a push-button, andmeans connected with said pushbutton for admitting air to said pouch.

4. The combination with a pneumatic having a movable leaf, of a chamberconnected with said pneumatic by two ports, a graduating valve in thepneumatic connected with said movable leaf for reducing the effectivearea of one of said ports when the pneumatic is collapsed, therebyreducing the flow of air through that port, the other of said portsbeing unrestricted, a valve for closing the other port, a pouchconnected with said valve and adapted to move it to closed position whenfilled with atmospheric air, a push-button, means connected with saidpush-button for admitting air to said pouch, a passage from saidpneumatic to the action chest, a second valve for closing said passage,a second pouch connected with said second valve for closing it when thesecond pouch is filled with air, a silencer button, and means wherebywhen the silencer button is operated air will be admitted to said secondpouch.

The combination with a pneumatic having a movable leaf, of a chamberthrough which the air can be exhausted from said pneumatic, said chamberbeing connected with said pneumatic by two ports, means for closing oneof said ports, a graduating valve for reducing the flow of air throughthe other of said ports, said reducing valve being connected with themovable leaf of the pneumatic so as to be operated in proportion to themotion of said movable leaf, a second chamber adjacent to the pneumaticand having free connection therewith, a port leading from said secondchamber for conducting the air thereto from an action chest, a valve forclosing said port, a pouch having an air space behind it for operatingthe last named valve, a channel connecting with the interior of thepouch, a silencer valve, means connected with the silencer valve foradmitting air to the channel, a reroll lever, and means whereby when thereroll lever is operated for rerolling purposes air will also beadmitted to the pouch.

6. The combination with a pneumatic having a movable leaf, of a chamberthrough which the air can be exhausted from said pneumatic, a secondchamber adjacent to the pneumatic and having free connection therewith,a port leading from said second chamber for conducting the air theretofrom an action chest, a valve for closing said port, a pouch having anair space hehind it for operating the last named valve, a channelconnecting with the interior of the pouch, a silencer valve, meansconnected with the silencer valve for admitting air to the channel, amanually operated reroll lever, and means whereby when the reroll leveris operated for rerolling purposes air will also be admitted to thepouch.

7 The combination with an action chest and a wind chest, of a pneumatichaving a movable leaf, a chamber connected with said wind chest andhaving two ports connecting it with said pneumatic, one of said portsbeing unrestricted, pneumatic means for closing said unrestricted port,whereby all the air exhausted from said pneumatic will have to passthrough the other port, a graduating valve for said other port connectedwith the movable leaf of the pneumatic and movable toward its port withthe movable leaf to restrict the passage of air therethrough and reducethe tension, a push button, and means operated by the push button foradmitting air to said pneumatic port closing means and operating it.

8. The combination with a pneumatic having a movable leaf, a chamberconnected with said pneumatic by two ports, a graduating valve connectedwith said movable leaf and movable therewith for reducing the effectivearea of one of said ports when the pneumatic moves in a direction to collapse, thereby reducing the flow of air through that port, a valve forclosing the other port, and a pouch connected with said valve andadapted to move it to closed posi tion, of manually controlled means forcausing air to be admitted to said pouch whereby the valve will. beclosed and the flow of air through the first named port will begraduated.

9. The combination with a pneumatic having a movable leaf, of a chamberthrough which the air can be exhausted from said pneumatic. said chamberbeing connected with the interior of the pneumatic by two ports, one ofsaid ports being unrestricted, a valve for closing said unrestrictedport, means for closing said valve whereby all the air from saidpneumatic will have to pass through the other port, a graduating valveconnected with the movable leaf of the pneumatic to be moved toward theother port as the pneumatic collapses for the purpose of reducing thetension, and manually controlled means whereby the entrance of air intosaid pneumatic from an action chest can be prevented.

10, In a musical instrument, the combination of a manually operatedreroll lever for controlling the winding mechanism to operate in eitherdirection, bass and treble actions. wind chests connected individuallywith said actions, a silencer box interposed between each action and itswind chest, means on said reroll lever for controlling the operation ofboth silencer boxes to cut off the actions from their wind chests whenthe reroll lever is operated for rerolling the music sheet, and a pushbutton independent of said reroll lever having means for controlling theoperation of both of said silencer boxes independently of said rerolllever to cut oil the actions entirely from their respective wind chests.

11. In a musical instrument, the combination of a manually operatedreroll lever for controlling the winding mechanism to operate in eitherdirection, an action, a wind chest connected with said action, a.silencer l)()X interposed between said action and its wind chest. meanson said reroll lever for controlling the operation of the silencer boxto cut off the action from the wind chest when the reroll lever isoperated for rerolling the music sheet, and a push button forcontrolling the operation of the silencer box entirely independently ofthe reroll lever.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

OSCAR HARALD CA RLSON. lVitnesses VVILLIAM J. KEELEY, VILLIAM' J.BARTON.

copies or this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patent: Washington, D. O.

